


(Not So) Ancient Memory

by sparklolfine



Category: Pillars of Eternity
Genre: Gen, They just talk, soft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-30
Updated: 2021-01-30
Packaged: 2021-03-16 12:19:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,005
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29082270
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sparklolfine/pseuds/sparklolfine
Summary: They say ancient memories heal.
Relationships: (but it was written as platonic but can be seen both ways tbh), Rekke/The Watcher (Pillars of Eternity)
Kudos: 3





	(Not So) Ancient Memory

**Author's Note:**

> (yes im cheeky nough to use one of the chanters' talents from the game both in the title and the description. but, if the shoe fits...)  
> watcher is gender neutral here, they are a moon godlike and island aumaua.  
> rekkes past is hella ambigious in the game so i took my best shot w it.

You and Rekke were leaning against the railings of your ship as the peaceful waves of Deadfire lazily crashed against the dark wood of your schooner. It was just before the sunset, and while the flaming orb was approaching the point where the ocean met the skies, your crew of sailors started singing yet another shanty, each joining in with a line or two here and there from their posts. Not a lot was going on right now as sails were weakly swaying with the tender winds. The ship might be becalmed during the night.

With a quick stolen glance at Rekke who is glowing as sun beams at his face, illuminating his freckles and that rough scar of his, you redirect your gaze back towards the reflections of light on the water’s surface. Your thoughts wander off into the depth of your memories on your native island. You left your home located on the Archipelago to pursue the merchant’s destiny at somewhat young age, after all, due to your unique position as a moon godlike born into the roparu family, you had more freedom than your parents ever did. You were not as special as Tekehu, true, but any kith blessed by Ondra herself was special on these islands, one way or another. The outside world wasn’t as pleasant, — much of humans and elves found any sorts of godlike repulsive and that didn’t help you much among the people who already assumed you to be of a lower intelligence since you came from the tribal background, —and so, it turned you sour and bitter, yet the reminiscences of your home still felt like warm sand when you lace your fingers through it, ignoring the rough texture for the sake of the soothing feeling on your skin, as you muse over them with a small rare smile appearing on your face.

“You seem to be in a good mood, friend,” Rekke said with a big grin gracing his face.

“You seem to be in a jolly mood yourself,” you chuckle as you shake your head, making your many artfully done braids shift around a bit.

“Well, I’m always like this, yet you, my friend, usually find a thing or two to frown about. Just like Aloth!” he exclaimed, giving a hearty laugh contagious enough to earn an upward tug of your lips.

He was right, as you rarely found enough strength to shut off all the nagging and depressing thoughts, usually either brooding or hiding these feelings under the stoic façade of neutrality, yet, right now, no ill words ran through your mind. There was something about this moment that made all the worse thoughts to just disappear as soft remembrance took their place. You smiled gently, yet somewhat unsurely, casting your face downwards to hide this embarrassing silliness from your companion.

He, however, immediately caught on, and, in one sidestep, with his arms sliding along the railings with a dull squeaking sound, Rekke was next to you, invading your personal space as he, with that smug grin, tried to lean forward to see your face while you stubbornly concentrated on the ocean’s surface instead.

“I wonder what could’ve gotten into our captain,” he said, in a much quieter tone as there was little space left between you, dropping his attempts of getting into your main line of sight and instead opting to lay himself down onto your side, propping his chin against your shoulder and bumping your heads together gently. 

You fumbled over your thoughts, not even paying too much attention to your companion’s clinging, — you became quite acquainted with the fact that he was somewhat eccentric and grown to appreciate it, too.

“You know, I have this one memory that stuck with me,” you begin, immediately engrossing the redheaded man into your words as he slightly turned his head, facing upwards, as if showing you that both of his ears are open to your monologue. It made you scoff a little, but you persisted with your explanation nonetheless. “It’s from the times when I was but a wee child, no more than 7, perhaps. I was usually left to my own devices, never bothered by the adults like a lot of roparu kids are, so I developed a somewhat rebellious spirit.”

“Oh really? Couldn’t notice it over all of the rule breaking we did,” he sarcastically noted, interrupting you as he snorted, his laughter revibrating through your chest due to your proximity while you roll your eyes. When his giggles continue for far too long to your own liking, you jab him with your elbow, yet the redhead doesn’t cease his antics and, instead, just stumbled a couple of steps behind you, clutching his sides.

“Gods, you’re unbearable,” you said jokingly, trying to stifle a small smile that still showed through the cracks of your defenses. He was highly contagious with his silly attitude.

“Shall I?” you asked, arching a brow towards your interlocutor who was now once again leaning against your side, adding warmth on top of what the sunlight on your skin provided.

“You shall,” he shoots back to you in a high and mighty tone that was followed by a small fit of laughter.

“Then I shall,” you repeat, somewhat not believing the levels of ridiculousness this conversation gained, yet, it wasn’t a bad thing. Rekke had his energy which made you relax, and you really appreciated that.

“So, when I was a kid, I would go into the jungles with the others. We were all around the same age, older kids rarely really did anything with us as they, usually, were already working to help the adults, so we just did our own thing. And I remember, we had a basket, one of them had a parent who weaved… I can’t remember who, if I’m being honest. A lot of my memories are blurry these days,” you shake your head and hear the man beside you hum in response as he muses over your words. However, you quickly return to your story. “We used to go for the easiest berries first, like murkberries, only to try a few and discover that they were extremely bitter,” you chuckle, still distantly recalling how the taste of earthiness stuck to your tongue and how it made you grimace and spit it out. “Yet, we still kept it there, at the bottom of our basket, just for the sake of it. Soon, the basket will be half filled with variety of berries, as we made our way through the trees and occasional meadows. Some of us would try to pick Berath’s bells, rare stray Gaensvef berries that would sprout up randomly, probably from some lost by adventurers’ seeds, or even Glaive berries!”

“Are those bad?” he blurted out, making you snort. Of course he didn’t know, he wasn’t familiar with the fauna of the archipelago still, but it was funny how it aligned him with small kids.

“Those are extremely poisonous. Luckily, we had a kid of local priest with us, the little one knew all the herbs by heart. Stopped us from picking those up.”

“Gaensvef… That sounds like one of the drugs Edér taught me about.”

“Because it’s a plant that svef is made of. Not all Huana appreciate new drugs that come from other lands, so we avoided it,” you shrug. Sour experiences from the past colonialistic years led a lot of island aumaua to be wary of “gifts” the foreigners bring with them. “But yeah. We would fill the basket, and then do one of the most idiotic things ever. We would go for the fruits, like koiki.”

“Because koiki stinks?”

“Because koiki is heavy,” you pointed out, glaring at him with a smug smirk. “It squished all of the berries underneath it.”

He gasped, finally understanding the connection, and now was your turn to break into giggles. This man was truly just like a 7-year-old boy, wasn’t he? Pouting playfully, he punched you into a shoulder, only making you laugh harder as you threw back your head, unable to stop yourself from giving farther into silliness of the situation.

“Are you done?” Rekke asked, huffing.

“I laugh this hard only once a year, let me have this,” you said in jest, wiping away a fake tear from your pale blue face.

Redhead just poked you in the temple.

“What about you?” you ask, finally calming down and propping your head while putting your elbows on the railings.

When your companion just returns you a confused look, you elaborate:

“I mean, how was it living on Lipasalis?”

“Oh, well, we are surrounded by deserts, so few cities are established, and most people just lead nomadic lives for themselves,” he shrugged and looked off into the distance.  
When he doesn’t continue, you sigh and tilt your head slightly, glaring at him with your brows knitted together and arching inwards in a pitiful manner as he awkwardly smiles at you. From time to time this happens. He doesn’t exactly understand your questions or words, but you’re patient with him all around. He came a long way to talk the way he does. You feel a tingle in your chest and a warm feeling swells inside of you. May it be the fondness for this doofus? 

“I meant your childhood, Rekke,” you clarify, amusement lacing your words while his face lights up, like it always does whenever he finally pieces something together, and he smiles, nodding to nothing in particular, probably to his own thoughts altogether.

“Well, I had a normal family,” he begins, drawing out as if unsure of the topic he should talk about, and trails off.

It’s alright by you. He can take as much time as he wants to, or he can just not talk about it, and, just at the exact moment when you start opening your mouth to tell him that, he continues:

“My sister was a bit of a snob,” he chuckles, and you smile, nodding. “She would always shoot sarcastic remarks towards me, always readying a comeback or two, snarky and bitey all around. Yet her words would usually fall on my deaf ears. I knew she didn’t mean it in a bad way, that’s just how she was, and, despite the foul escaping her lips sometimes, I knew she loved me. I wonder if she still does.”

The bittersweet ending note caught you off-guard and that melancholic weak smile made your heart ache. You tried to gather up enough thoughts to form a warm supportive sentence, yet he interrupted you once again, this time before you could even speak.

“I used to do silly things, too.”

“Really? I would never guess as much,” you inserted, as now was your turn to be clever about this conversation.

“I know, right? I’m so serious all the time, it’s so hard to believe!” Rekke exclaims, throwing his arms in the air as you roll your eyes, only somewhat meaning it. “But yes, I, too, used to cause trouble as a kid! For example, I would try and ride the pigs. The older people never let me, but that didn’t stop me, either.”

“Didn’t you win three contests in a row or something?” you cock your eyebrow at him.

“Well, yes, how do you think I got the practice I needed!” he laughs and slaps you on the back lightly.

“Yeah, dumb question on my part. And how was it?”

“The contest?”

“The ride itself. Any different to a horse?”

“Very different! Pigs are slick little bastards! Evil creatures who are hel-bent on throwing you off by any means!”

“Don’t tell that to Edér, he’ll try it for himself.”

Both of you giggle at that. The sun is already set behind the distant horizon and your skin is glowing gently with cold white light. You both go silent and it’s alright.

The soft breezes come and go during the night, yet they are not enough to make your sails rise.

The ship is becalmed during the night.


End file.
